Ask the experts

[stuckathuntermtn]

Can someone explain LSC on the Pike Ultimate to me? Does the adjustment only effect the pedal/climb modes, or does it effect the open mode too?
I haven't gotten to ride it on the trail so I can't tell if it doesn't anything.

[volklpowdermaniac]

Can someone explain LSC on the Pike Ultimate to me? Does the adjustment only effect the pedal/climb modes, or does it effect the open mode too?
I haven't gotten to ride it on the trail so I can't tell if it doesn't anything.

One would think the latter....but I don’t know for certain. LSC during open to control slow speed dives like hard braking and the such...?

[jamal]

It would actually have more effect in open mode.

What LSC does is help the spring slow down and stop during compressions caused mostly by weight transfer. So braking, berms, pumping in a corner, even landing. High speed damping is more hitting bumps - rocks, roots, brake bumps, etc. Having sufficient compression damping also helps the rebound side as there's a less energy coming back out of the spring. Compression damping is kind of funny, as it works with the spring, but also against the spring by slowing down it's natural frequency.

So how do you set it? Well, kind of by turning it up until you notice it's getting worse, maybe on a fairly smooth trail that you can easily ride over and over again. The bit of flow trail at the top of the chairlift would be a good spot, you could hit those corners from the start of the jump line and go down to the road over and over again, I'd probably turn my rebound and hsc a little more open as well, to make the effect of lsc stand out more.

That reminds me I should consider a damper upgrade on my hei hei since I don't have much choice but to keep it. The 3-position standard grip is kind of meh. Seems too open in "open," too harsh in the middle spot. The fit 4 2-position seems like the way to go, gives me a simpler lockout and a LSC dial.

[Andeh]

Hey, any of you guys ever run sintered pads with Magura MT7's? Rotors are centerlines and Fedex might actually deliver the bike today or tomorrow. Smokan gave me layaway lol.
Anyway, I really like how resistant sintered pads are to contamination, glazing, and just plain evaporating. Any feedback for when I need new pads?

I've only ever used Magura's pads (which are hybrid resin/metallic) and Trickstuff pads in my Magura brakes. I'm not sure I've ever seen full sintered pads for MT7s... which ones are you looking at?

[jackstraw]

Has anyone ever had a "defective" chain out of the box? I have a GX 12sp chain and it didn't sit on my cassette. So I thought it was me, like everytime I work on my bike and something isn't right, but I tried multiple times and no go. Thankfully I had another GX chain and that one sat on the cassette no problem...weird.

The new issue is I think my spacers are incorrect on the Sram Dub BB. Chain falls off the chain ring when shifted to the 50t cog.

I'm hack mechanic on my first build. This had been an experience.

[Eluder]

How much use on the cassette and chain?

Sram has a chart showing what you need for spacers.
https://www.worldwidecyclery.com/blo...bottom-bracket

[jackstraw]

How much use on the cassette and chain?

Sram has a chart showing what you need for spacers.

Brand new...everything.

Yeah, this has been a long project coming up on 2 yrs! When I put the BB in, I went the their chart, but I remember it being clear as mud to me.

[Eluder]

Brand new...everything.

Yeah, this has been a long project coming up on 2 yrs! When I put the BB in, I went the their chart, but I remember it being clear as mud to me.

if it just rides up in the two biggest rings don't worry about it. It wont happen under load.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I know this has been discussed somewhere in this thread. Link me if I am bringing up a beat to death subject.

Hot waxing MTB chains?

I have tried so many lubes and realize chain cleaning/re-lubing is way too often of an occurrence for me.

[Dee Hubbs]

Clean chain very well, melt paraffin wax (buy in caning section of grocery store) in crock pot ($2 at thrift store). Put chain in melted wax until air bubbles stop coming out of chain. Pull chain out of pot, let excess liquid wax drip off chain back into crock pot (10 seconds), hang chain to dry/cool (30 minutes at most). Wiggle each link by hand to beak the wax (2 minutes). Install chain on bike and forget about it for a few hundred kms/miles.

[XXX-er]

or you could just try a liquid wax, i like squirt

there must be a thread here on waxing

[Dee Hubbs]

or you could just try a liquid wax, i like squirt

there must be a thread here on waxing

I’ve tried a bunch of liquid wax lubes on my road bike, and I prefer the hot wax over the liquid lube.

[XXX-er]

The only one i have used is Squirt, i liked it enough that now its on the road/ enduro/ Fat,

I dripped some on the floor and after the water evaps there is a glob of wax

[Roxtar]

I know this has been discussed somewhere in this thread. Link me if I am bringing up a beat to death subject.

Hot waxing MTB chains?

I have tried so many lubes and realize chain cleaning/re-lubing is way too often of an occurrence for me.

I swear by it for all the reasons you'd expect; longer life, better waterproof lube, seals chain internals against elements, etc.
However...

There's a little more to it to do it right:

Mix of 4 parts paraffin and 1 part beeswax. Paraffin by itself dries too brittle. It cracks off. Beeswax by itself is too gummy and sticky. Experimenting has shown around 4:1 mix is ideal.
Add powdered molybdenum. I also add powdered PFTE because nothing exceeds like excess.

I know this seems like a lot to do but everything I've just listed is easy to find and cheap on amazon.
Mix it up in the aforementioned crockpot and you're set for life.

Oh, and either superclean your chain or start with new.

Now the most important part.
I strongly recommend a two chain process. This helps two ways;
1) Swapping two chains back and forth keeps wear down which adds to drivetrain life, regardless of what lube you use.
2) Since the actual lube process (preheating the wax mainly) takes quite a bit longer than just squirting you'll want to do it when convenient. Then you have one waxed and ready to go whenever the mounted one starts making noise. Switch them out and you have a month to get the other chain waxed.

[climberevan]

or you could just try a liquid wax, i like squirt

there must be a thread here on waxing

There was. We continued to beat this horse long after it was an unrecognizable pile of bloody guts.

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...d.php?t=337813

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

I swear by it for all the reasons you'd expect; longer life, better waterproof lube, seals chain internals against elements, etc.
However...

There's a little more to it to do it right:

Mix of 4 parts paraffin and 1 part beeswax. Paraffin by itself dries too brittle. It cracks off. Beeswax by itself is too gummy and sticky. Experimenting has shown around 4:1 mix is ideal.
Add powdered molybdenum. I also add powdered PFTE because nothing exceeds like excess.

I know this seems like a lot to do but everything I've just listed is easy to find and cheap on amazon.
Mix it up in the aforementioned crockpot and you're set for life.

Oh, and either superclean your chain or start with new.

Now the most important part.
I strongly recommend a two chain process. This helps two ways;
1) Swapping two chains back and forth keeps wear down which adds to drivetrain life, regardless of what lube you use.
2) Since the actual lube process (preheating the wax mainly) takes quite a bit longer than just squirting you'll want to do it when convenient. Then you have one waxed and ready to go whenever the mounted one starts making noise. Switch them out and you have a month to get the other chain waxed.

Awesome. I have a brand new shimano 12 speed chain in the package still. I assume you clean the factory grease off the chain first? Just some tough degreaser or even 99% ISO?

[Roxtar]

I assume you clean the factory grease off the chain first? Just some tough degreaser or even 99% ISO?

Actually, that factory grease is really good and mixes nicely with the wax when heated. Leave it in.

[XXX-er]

there you are ^^ 2 pages of bloviating on hot wax vs liquid wax for lubing chains, IME soaking the chain overnight in a few inches of white gas in a jar will get the chain very clean,

i supose YMMV but one of the things i like about wax is how clean it runs which is why I used naptha to get the chain very clean, there happened to be a can of white gas and a pickle jar in the shed

[stuckathuntermtn]

Thanks, Jamal.

Cleaning my chain with white gas then soaking it in a special hot wax blend seems like a lot of effort for what could easily be duplicated with Simple Green and Triflow. I tried some dry conditions liquid wax from White Lightning and I was squeaking after the tiniest puddle. No thanks.

[XXX-er]

so what i hear you say is that a chain lube for dry conditions didnt work when you used it in wet conditions ?

[toast2266]

There was. We continued to beat this horse long after it was an unrecognizable pile of bloody guts.

https://www.tetongravity.com/forums/...d.php?t=337813

Yeah, but we haven't beaten the horse to death in this thread yet.

Commence several pages of rehashing this issue.

[Roxtar]

Thanks, Jamal.

Cleaning my chain with white gas then soaking it in a special hot wax blend seems like a lot of effort for what could easily be duplicated with Simple Green and Triflow. I tried some dry conditions liquid wax from White Lightning and I was squeaking after the tiniest puddle. No thanks.

Triflow might be the worst lube you can put on a chain

[XXX-er]

Yeah Tri-flow wouldn't be my 1st choice for chains either, i think of it as more of a light viscosity spot lubricant

simple green you have to rinse very well with water possibly scrub it, i have always used it with one of those park chain scrubbers

whereas i discovered when you soak a brand new chain in a few inches of naptha, every trace of the factory chain preservative will be completley gone and the chain is completely dry almost instantly with no residue

[milestogo]

Triflow might be the worst lube you can put on a chain

Please explain...

[volklpowdermaniac]

Yeah Tri-flow wouldn't be my 1st choice for chains either, i think of it as more of a light viscosity spot lubricant

concur.

although i can't articulate why it wouldn't be great as a chain lube, but yes, agree, i use triflow for spot lubrication of mechanicals, never as chain lube